Clock Ticking- Objections by 22 May to Disposal of Pensford as Open Space
Willow circle looking great because of our little helpers today!
Council breaks promises to maintain free access for public, schools and nurseries.
Dear Friends,
I apologise for sending another email so soon after the last but the clock is ticking. We are very grateful to those who have already written to the Council objecting to their plans to change the status of Pensford Field so that it is no longer an open space protected by law. We have seen over 70 already and still some time to go before 22 May.
If you have been meaning to get round to it but not quite got round to it, please do it now before Thursday 22 May. The Council is considering objections at the Finance, Policy and Resources meeting on 25 June 2025. Even if you wrote to the Council in support of us previously, there is still a need to lodge your objections afresh.
You need to submit objections by Thursday 22 May by email to pensfordfield@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk or by post to the address in the notice . Please also copy us in at info@pensfordfield.co.uk so we know what the Council has received. Do forward your objections to us if you have already sent them.
There are some suggested points to raise in the draft letter in this link but please make your own points or omit ones where you are unsure or don’t agree.
We have submitted detailed objections to the Council (follow link) but in summary, this is what we have written:
“This is clearly not the right decision for the local community, schools and nurseries and for the wildlife of the field;
Even if this were the correct decision, the Council has driven a coach and horses through the law, its own constitution, policies and procedures in order to deliver whatever commitment the Leader gave to Sir Mark Rowley, the Chair of Dose of Nature (DoN) (also the Metropolitan Police Commissioner), during their private meeting in March 2024;
The outcome of this process is already predetermined by the premature termination of the PFET lease in September 2024 (on a year’s notice) and the Council cannot now consider objections in a meaningful way given all the public statements the Leader made at various Council meetings that the decision to award a lease to DoN had already been made;
The Council therefore needs to accept it has botched this process from beginning to end, withdraw the notice of termination of our lease and carry out a proper consultation process during the remaining years of our lease whilst making exhaustive enquiries to find DoN a more suitable home.”
We have also sent the Council our mark-up of the proposed summary of the lease issued by the Council - we despair - the Council made no provision for public access for local residents or for free access for schools and nurseries (with use of toilets) nor any meaningful provisions about conservation/biodiversity..
Independent film maker, Martin Baker is about to do a new video so please keep on eye out for it on his channel Richmond Council Watch.
Turning to some of our events over the summer, please come and help at our next two Work Days on 14 June and 12 July from 10am to 12 noon.
Join us on Saturday 14 June at 12.30pm for a talk on Weeds or Wildflowers by Katrina Roche, Trustee, local gardener and freelance garden writer with a blog, weedsrootsleaves.com To reserve a free place, book on Eventbrite.
We very much hope you will be able to join us for our Summer Party on the afternoon of Saturday 19 July at 1.30pm. Follow this link for more details. If the weather forecast is terrible we may cancel but we will send an email to our Friends and put a notice on our website. This is a free event.
We had a fantastic talk today on Reptiles and Amphibians thanks to John Salisbury. Our pond is teeming with wildlife thanks to all the efforts of the community over the years.
All best,
Sarah
Sarah Atkins
Chair of Pensford Field Environmental Trust
